Leeds brewer to boost capacity by 20% after £500k investment

Northern-Monk-invests-500k-to-boost-capacity-20.jpg
The brewer operates two sites in Yorkshire. Credit: Getty / STasker

Northern Monk Brew Co has announced plans to increase the brewing capacity of its main site in Leeds by 20%.

The brewer has invested £500k in new equipment, with the capacity increase the equivalent of an additional 8,000 hectolitres or 1.4m pints of beer per year.

In 2023, Northern Monk brewed approximately 7m pints across its two brewing sites – one located on Sydenham Road in Holbeck, and the other its original site at The Old Flax Store, just south of Leeds city centre.

Meanwhile, half of the ten best performing new craft beers in supermarkets over the past 12 months were brewed by Northern Monk, which is currently in the midst of celebrating its 10-year anniversary.

The brewer produces a wide variety of different beers, including IPAs, pale ales, porters and non-alcoholic options.

‘We were pushing the limit of what the current site could handle’

Russell Bisset co-founded Northern Monk alongside head brewer Brian Dickson in 2014, and believes that after 10 years of hard work the beer maker is entering an exciting new era.

“The increase in capacity represents a really positive period for us as we continue to attract new customers enjoying our beers, like Faith, in their local, to picking up a few cans from the supermarkets to our innovative special releases in independent bottle shops, which are enjoyed by beer lovers who have followed our journey since the start,” Bisset continued.

“Due to this growth, we were pushing the limit of what our current site could handle and so this felt like the right time to make a significant investment in our facilities.

“It’s been a challenging few years for the industry as a whole with Covid, rising bills, political uncertainty and supply challenges acutely felt by the sector. We’re deeply grateful to our consumers and customers for their continued support which has allowed us to continue to grow as a company.”

In other news, Food Manufacture takes a closer look at the new product development process, learning about the firms displaying best practice and why collaboration is so important.